Timeline

A young company with strong roots

LANXESS is a global player with strong roots reaching as far back as 1863, the year Bayer was founded. Combining a long tradition with the dynamism of a young organization, LANXESS grew from a strategic realignment of the Bayer Group’s chemical and plastics businesses at the beginning of 2005.

Relive our fascinating history by clicking with the mouse along the time bar and enjoy an interactive trip through time.

07.Nov 2003

Decision to realign the Group

The Supervisory Board of Bayer AG approves the comprehensive realignment of the Bayer Group proposed by the Board of Management of Bayer AG.

18.Mar 2004

LANXESS is the name

Announcement of the name LANXESS by the Board of Management: a combination of “lancer” (Fr.: to launch) and “success”.

Presentation of the brand strategy

30.Apr 2004

Annual Stockholders’ Meeting

The Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Bayer AG approves the concept for strategic realignment.

01.Jul 2004

LANXESS starts at the internal level

LANXESS introduces its new structure internally on July 1, 2004. An important milestone in the realignment of the Group is reached as a result. LANXESS can operate largely independently from now on. Information events about the launch of LANXESS are held in Leverkusen and in the country companies.

16.Jul 2004

Decision: LANXESS is to obtain a stock market listing via a spin-off

The Board of Management and Supervisory Board of Bayer AG take the decision to obtain a stock market listing for LANXESS in early 2005 by means of a spin-off. Bayer AG shareholders are to receive LANXESS shares in the ratio 10:1.

17.Nov 2004

Extraordinary Stockholders’ Meeting in Essen

99.66 percent of the voting capital present at the Extraordinary Stockholders’ Meeting of Bayer AG vote for the spin-off and takeover contract between Bayer AG and LANXESS AG proposed by the Board of Management and Supervisory Board.

28.Jan 2005

Entry in the commercial register/spin-off

All Bayer shareholders receive LANXESS shares in addition to their existing Bayer shares. One LANXESS share is issued for every 10 Bayer shares.

31.Jan 2005

LANXESS obtains a stock market listing

The shares are officially traded for the first time in the Prime Standard on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on January 31, 2005.

26.Apr 2005

First Financial Press Conference of LANXESS in Cologne

Dr. Axel C. Heitmann presents the 2004 results. All major figures are an improvement over the previous year’s.

16.Jun 2005

First LANXESS Annual Stockholders’ Meeting

First LANXESS Annual Stockholders’ Meeting takes place in Düsseldorf.

21.Jun 2005

LANXESS is included in the MDAX

The inclusion is effected by the "fast-entry rule" whereby companies can gain entry to the MDAX outside the regular review deadlines in March and September if their sales and market capitalization are among the 40 highest in the MDAX.

19.Jul 2005

Joint Works Council and company management agree on a solidarity package

that paves the way for a rapid implementation of the restructuring process.

25.Aug 2005

LANXESS presents the results for the second quarter of 2005

In addition to significant improvements to sales and results, a second package of restructuring measures is announced.

02.Nov 2005

LANXESS announces the divestment of its fine chemicals business

From April 2006, the business unit is to operate as an independent company called Saltigo.

17.Nov 2005

First portfolio adjustment about to be implemented / Results for the third quarter of 2005

LANXESS aims to sell Dorlastan fibers business to Japanese company Asahi Kasei Fibers.LANXESS presents the results for the third quarter of 2005 - Again, the results are an improvement, showing that the measures introduced have been taking effect.

20.Dec 2005

LANXESS sells Paper business unit to Finnish Kemira Group

Another important portfolio adjustment made.

22.Feb 2006

LANXESS launches expansion of ABS plastics production in Tarragona

Realignment of Styrenic Resins business unit in Europe on target.

04.Apr 2006

LANXESS completes first year in business successfully / Third restructuring package

With the planned measures in the Polybutadiene Rubber, Butyl Rubber, Inorganic Pigments and Styrenic Resins business units, LANXESS aims to save around €50 million per year from 2009 onwards. The countries affected are the United States, Brazil, France and Belgium.

26.Apr 2006

LANXESS steps up its Asia strategy

In China, a new plant goes on stream for high-tech plastics. In India, the capacity of the rubber additives facility is increased and further investments are made in plastics production. Strong growth in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

31.May 2006

Second Annual Stockholders’ Meeting

Announcement that LANXESS is to divest its textile processing chemicals business by the end of the year.

30.Aug 2006

LANXESS’s Styrenic Resins business unit renamed

With its new name Lustran Polymers the business unit aims to concentrate on its top brand, Lustran®, and focus on colored ABS and ABS specialties.

14.Sep 2006

1st Media and Investor Day

Having almost completed its restructuring programs, LANXESS aims to grow through acquisitions and, by 2009, catch up with the industry in terms of profitability.

27.Sep 2006

The new European head office of Lustran Polymers is inaugurated in Tarragona

With targeted investment of more than €20 million the competitiveness of the business unit is further strengthened.

10.Nov 2006

LANXESS divests its textile processing chemicals business

All the activities of the Textile Processing Chemicals (TPC) business unit outside of North America are taken over by Dutch investor Egeria and business unit management.

12.Dec 2006

LANXESS rearranges its Management Board

Dr. Axel C. Heitmann is confirmed as Chairman of the Board and Matthias Zachert as CFO for another five years. Rainier van Roessel is appointed as a new member of the Board.

14.Dec 2006

First acquisition made

CISA-Activities of Dow Group in South Africa taken over.

16.Mar 2007

Changes to the Management Board

Dr. Werner Breuers is appointed to the Management Board by the Supervisory Board effective May 15, 2007. Dr. Rainier van Roessel is named Labor Relations Director and assumes all responsibilities of Dr. Martin Wienkenhoever, who leaves the Group effective March 31.

30.Apr 2007

On the way to becoming the world’s biggest supplier of chrome ore to the chemical industry

In the chrome ore mine operated by LANXESS in South Africa an additional delivery volume of 80 million metric tons can be tapped.

22.May 2007

Asia strategy

Inauguration of a development center for high-tech plastics in Wuxi, China.Chinaplas 2007 - LANXESS features prominently at Asia’s biggest plastics and rubber fair.

31.May 2007

Third Annual Stockholders’ Meeting

Dr. Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of the Management Board of LANXESS, confirms that the company will rigorously continue to pursue its course of growth. The payment of a dividend is proposed for the first time. At the end of the Stockholders' Meeting, Dr. Ulrich Koemm resigns from the LANXESS Management Board.

02.Jul 2007

Chinas Premier Wen Jiabao visits the LANXESS production site in Wuxi

The background to the visit is the interest of the State Premier in companies that have achieved outstanding results in the areas of safety, health and environmental protection.

06.Jul 2007

LANXESS presses ahead with butyl rubber expansion worldwide

In Sarnia in Canada the company has completed the first expansion stage for its local facility, thereby increasing the capacity for butyl rubber by 42 percent. A few days earlier the LANXESS Management Board Chairman Dr. Axel C. Heitmann had announced in Singapore that the company had specific plans for a new butyl rubber facility in Asia. At a cost of €400 million this is to be the biggest facility invested in in the company’s brief history.

31.Aug 2007

Asia initiative: Plant to be built in India

LANXESS announces the construction of a new production plant for ion exchange resins in the Indian state of Gujarat. The EUR 30 million facility is due on stream in early 2010.

18.Sep 2007

2nd Media and Investor Day

Following the divestment of the Lustran Polymers business unit, LANXESS is now positioning itself as a specialty chemicals group at the core of the chemical industry, with three segments: Performance Polymers, Advanced Intermediates and Performance Chemicals. The earnings targets for 2009 are now to be achieved a year earlier.

30.Sep 2007

ABS plastics business divested

As of this date, the Lustran Polymers business unit is transferred to Ineos ABS, the newly established joint venture with British chemicals group INEOS. LANXESS will retain a 49 percent financial interest in the new company for two years.

24.Oct 2007

LANXESS at K 2007

LANXESS presents new products and system solutions at its 800-square-meter stand at K 2007 in Düsseldorf - the world's most important fair for plastics and rubber. The specialty chemicals company demonstrates its commitment to innovation to key consumer industries, and hoghlights the fact that LANXESS is an expert development partner across all markets worldwide. Polymers play an important role in the company's portfolio. In 2006 they accounted for more than 50 percent of total sales.

13.Dec 2007

LANXESS to acquire Petroflex chemicals group of Brazil

LANXESS is to acquire an interest of approximately 70 percent in Petroflex S.A, Brazil. Petroflex, a listed company based in Rio de Janeiro, is among the world's large-scale producers of synthetic rubber. Petroflex complements LANXESS's product portfolio and strengthens the company's position in one of the world's most important growth markets.

01.Jan 2008

LANXESS strengthens business in central and eastern Europe

LANXESS is strengthening its commitment in central and eastern Europe: The Group has set up a sales company specifically for business in these growth markets. The new company LANXESS Central Eastern Europe s.r.o. has its headquarters in Bratislava in Slovakia and offices in Warsaw, Poland and Budapest, Hungary.

26.Feb 2008

LANXESS to make record investment in Singapore

LANXESS is set to make the biggest single investment in its history in Singapore. A new production facility for synthetic rubber is to be built at the chemical park on Jurong Island. The specialty chemicals group has earmarked a record amount of EUR 400 million for this investment. From 2013, the site in Singapore will produce up to 100,000 tons of butyl rubber annually, making the LANXESS plant the largest facility of its type in Asia.

01.Apr 2008

Acquisition of majority share in Petroflex completed

LANXESS has successfully completed the acquisition of an 70 % holding in Petroflex S.A., Latin America’s biggest rubber producer. The transaction took legal and economic effect on April 1, 2008. Petroflex complements LANXESS’S product portfolio and strengthens the company’s position in one of the world’s most important growth markets.

19.May 2008

LANXESS to lower emissions of harmful gases

By 2012, LANXESS will have reduced emissions of greenhouse gases in Germany by around 80 percent compared with 2007. To achieve this target, the specialty chemicals company will enter into Germany's first industrial joint implementation project – an innovative instrument devised for carrying out climate protection projects. At the heart of the project is the construction of a second facility for reducing dinitrogen monoxide (N2O) – also known as laughing gas – at the LANXESS site in Krefeld-Uerdingen.

02.Jun 2008

Kölnarena to be renamed the "LANXESS arena"

The Kölnarena – a major events location in the German city of Cologne – is to be named after the specialty chemicals group LANXESS AG. The company has signed an agreement to this effect with Kölnarena Management GmbH for a period of ten years. "As a company with deep roots in the region, we are proud to give our name to the Kölnarena. It is very well known in Cologne, in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and indeed throughout Germany," said Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG. The future LANXESS arena is by far the best known and the most frequently used of all comparable event arenas in Germany.

26.Jun 2008

LANXESS makes first acquisition in China

With its first acquisition in China, specialty chemicals company LANXESS AG is expanding the Asian business of its Inorganic Pigments business unit. In Jinshan near Shanghai LANXESS is to acquire two production units from its previous cooperation partner Jinzhuo Chemicals Company Ltd, one of which it had already leased since 2007. With this acquisition LANXESS will expand its global production capacity for inorganic pigments by five percent. The facility in Jinshan is one of China’s largest and uses state-of-the-art and environmentally compatible production methods.

07.Oct 2008

LANXESS will eliminate climate gas emissions almost completely at its Porto Feliz site

Specialty chemicals group LANXESS AG is building its own innovative, highly efficient cogeneration plant at its Brazilian site in Porto Feliz for the combined generation of steam and electricity. The new plant will operate with bagasse, the fibrous components of sugar cane that are left over from sugar production. Through the use of this renewable, environmentally friendly fuel, energy generation becomes completely CO2-neutral. When the new power plant comes into operation in 2010, LANXESS will be able to almost entirely eliminate its output of harmful gases at this site.

14.Nov 2008

Petroflex Takeover Completed

The integration of the Petroflex group is proceeding on schedule. After LANXESS added to the existing 70 percent interest by acquiring a further 27 percent of Petroflex shares under the takeover offer for the outstanding stock, Petroflex has been delisted from the stock market. The so-called squeeze-out of the remaining stockholders has been completed.

10.Mar 2009

LANXESS establishes strong presence in Russian and CIS markets

LANXESS AG officially launched its new, independent sales company in Moscow to manage the company's business in Russia and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). OOO LANXESS will primarily be marketing high-performance rubber, chemical and plastic products. “Our commitment to Russia represents a major step in the long-term growth strategy of our company, especially in the BRIC countries, which already account for about 15 percent of Group sales”, said Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of the Board of Management.

18.Mar 2009

100 years synthetic rubber

In 1909, Fritz Hofmann, who was employed by “Elberfelder Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedrich Bayer & Co.” received the patent for the 'industrial production of synthetic rubber'. His revolutionary invention mobilized the world and our everyday lives today would be unimaginable without it. LANXESS is taking Hofmann's heritage into a successful future with a portfolio of over 100 types of synthetic rubber. To honor his invention LANXESS is planning a whole range of activities at it’s rubber sites around the world.

07.May 2009

Annual Stockholders' Meeting in the LANXESS arena

On May 7, about 2.500 stockholders came to Germany’s largest event hall. For the first time, the LANXESS arena acted as venue for the Annual Stockholders' Meeting. The LANXESS arena is by far the best known and the most frequently used of all comparable event arenas in Germany.

08.Jun 2009

LANXESS underpins BRIC strategy with two acquisitions in Asia

LANXESS will acquire the chemical businesses and assets of stock market listed Indian company Gwalior Chemical Industries Ltd. LANXESS will also acquire the business and production assets of Chinese-based Jiangsu Polyols Chemical Co. Ltd. These acquisitions in India and China are further milestones in our company’s long-term growth strategy in the BRIC countries,” said Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of LANXESS`s Board of Management.

12.Sep 2009

LANXESS celebrates rubber anniversary

As the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance rubber, LANXESS is celebrating the centenary of synthetic rubber’s invention by the chemist Fritz Hofmann by holding a high-profile scientific colloquium on Saturday, September 12. Over 400 guests from 18 nations attended the event, which was held in the Gürzenich Banqueting Hall, to learn more about the latest innovations, the future possibilities and the market potential of this versatile material.

28.Sep 2009

ICIS names LANXESS ‘Company of the Year’

“The ICIS Company of the Year Award goes to LANXESS for its outstanding financial performance in a challenging 2008,” said Joseph Chang, Global Editor of ICIS Chemical Business. The Business magazine selected LANXESS for this award on the grounds that the company increased net profit by 53 percent to EUR 171 million on nearly flat sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008, despite a sharp drop in fourth quarter demand. In addition, its management and workforce reacted promptly and effectively to the downturn, and the company achieved its growth and financial targets over the course of 2008 a year ahead of plan.

21.Jan 2010

Ground-breaking ceremony for new chemical plant

Specialty chemicals group LANXESS AG is building a new facility for manufacturing membrane filters for water treatment at its site in Bitterfeld. LANXESS is investing a total of EUR 30 million in this pioneering project.

31.Jan 2010

Five years on the Stock Exchange

On February 1, 2010, specialty chemicals group LANXESS will mark the fifth anniversary of becoming a listed company. Some 14,600 employees working at LANXESS sites around the globe will celebrate the day the group was first listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The first price quoted for LANXESS shares on January 31, 2005 stood at EUR 15.75. Five years later, on February 1, 2010, the opening price was EUR 27.42.

03.Mar 2010

New Jhagadia site up and running

LANXESS has completed the first phase of construction of its new site in Jhagadia, Gujarat state, India. The production of the rubber chemicals plant was started up, as planned. The plant will supply the global rubber and mineral oil additive market as well as the rapidly growing Indian tire and rubber industry with high-quality antioxidants belonging to LANXESS’ Vulkanox® brand.

09.Mar 2010

Good for the climate

Worldwide, LANXESS has reduced its direct emissions of climate gases by more than 50 percent. One milestone is the new cogeneration power plant at the Porto Feliz site in Brazil.

07.May 2010

Partnership in China

LANXESS and Taiwan’s TSRC Corporation will enter into a 50:50 joint venture in Greater China. The two companies are jointly investing 50 million USD in a new plant that will produce Nitrile Rubber (NBR).

17.May 2010

LANXESS breaks ground for most modern rubber plant in Asia

The New state-of-the-art butyl rubber production plant on Jurong Island, Singapore requires an investment of up to EUR 400 million and will provide a capacity of 100,000 tons per annum. Production is expected to start in the first quarter of 2013.

28.Jun 2010

LANXESS launches series of Rubber Days

LANXESS is launching a series of international rubber conferences. The kick-off event is the rubber conference in Macau, China, on June 28 and 29, 2010. Similar conferences will then be held in Brazil and India in September and December. “In Asia and Latin America, rubber plays a decisive role for the competitive development of these regions' booming economies,” says Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of LANXESS.

15.Sep 2010

LANXESS Media Day 2010

LANXESS sets ambitious growth target: The specialty chemical company announced today its goal to increase its leading earnings indicator by roughly 80 percent in the coming five years. The specialty chemicals company is targeting EBITDA pre exceptionals of approximately EUR 1.4 billion in 2015 and confirmed its forecast of roughly EUR 800 million EBITDA pre exceptionals in 2010. LANXESS plans to achieve its mid-term earnings target through a dual-track growth strategy of organic and external growth. Organic growth will play the more dominant role.

27.Oct 2010

LANXESS at K 2010

“Innovations in Polymers Energized by LANXESS” is the specialty chemical company’s slogan for the international K 2010 plastics fair in Dusseldorf. "We provide highly effective materials, processes and technologies in responses to the demands of global megatrends and our most important markets. We are also a creative development partner for the associated key industries,” explained Dr. Werner Breuers, a member of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG.

02.Dec 2010

LANXESS starts up new plant for ion exchange resins in India

On December 2, 2010, the specialty chemicals group opened Asia’s most state-of-the-art plant for ion exchange resins in India. The new plant was constructed over a period of two years in the chemical park in Jhagadia in the Indian state of Gujarat. Around 200 employees from the Ion Exchange Resins (ION) business unit manufacture products for industrial water treatment for the semi-conductor and pharmaceutical industries, the food sector and the power industry.

09.Dec 2010

Largest Leather Chemicals investment in China ever

LANXESS will invest about EUR 30 million in a plant for leather chemicals to be built in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, China. This is the single largest investment by the company’s Leather Chemicals business unit to date in China. Approximately 150 new jobs will be created through this investment.

14.Dec 2010

LANXESS to acquire DSM Elastomers

LANXESS and Dutch company Royal DSM N.V. have reached an agreement in principle involving the sale of DSM Elastomers to LANXESS for EUR 310 million on a cash and debt-free basis. The transaction is subject to approval from antitrust authorities. Closing is expected in the first months of 2011. DSM Elastomers produces the synthetic rubber ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) under the brand name Keltan.

11.Jan 2011

LANXESS to acquire Darmex S.A., Argentina

Rhein Chemie business unit has acquired Argentina-based Darmex S.A. – a leading manufacturer of release agents and curing bladders for the tire industry. This acquisition is part of LANXESS' activities in Latin America and strengthens its standing as the world’s leading synthetic rubber company.

01.Mar 2011

LANXESS acquires Syngenta’s Material Protection business

LANXESS has agreed to acquire the Material Protection business of Switzerland’s Syngenta. As a result, the German specialty chemicals company will become one of the leading suppliers of biocides for construction materials.

01.May 2011

LANXESS completes acquisition of DSM Elastomers

The specialty chemicals group has successfully completed the acquisition of DSM Elastomers. DSM Elastomers produces the synthetic rubber ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) under the brand name Keltan.

18.May 2011

LANXESS to relocate to Cologne

The specialty chemicals group will transfer its corporate headquarters from Leverkusen to the former Lufthansa headquarters on Deutzer Freiheit in the second half of 2013. This means that LANXESS will in the future steer its global business from Cologne.

01.Jun 2011

LANXESS selects Singapore as site for world’s largest Nd-PBR plant

The German specialty chemicals company has selected Singapore as the site for its new neodymium polybutadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) plant and plans to invest roughly EUR 200 million in a 140,000 metric tons per annum facility on Jurong Island Chemical Park. The facility will be the largest of its kind in the world. About 100 jobs will be created. The plant is expected to start up in the first half of 2015.

16.Sep 2011

New chemical plant for water technology in Bitterfeld

LANXESS has inaugurated a new chemical plant for membrane filtration technology for water treatment at its site in Bitterfeld. "With its new membrane filtration products LANXESS is helping to reduce global water problems,” said Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG.

20.Oct 2011

First bio-based EPDM rubber in the world

LANXESS is re-engineering parts of its plant in Triunfo, Brazil, in order to produce EPDM rubber from bio-based ethylene. This represents the world’s first production of bio-based EPDM rubber which will be named Keltan Eco.

21.Nov 2011

LANXESS pioneering high-performance rubber

LANXESS will be underlining its status as a premium supplier of high-performance rubber to the tire industry at its first-ever Rubber Days in Japan and South Korea.

27.Jan 2012

Former Lufthansa building renamed “LANXESS Tower”

LANXESS will be able to welcome employees, customers and guests to the “LANXESS Tower” from the middle of 2013. This is the new name chosen for the company's future headquarters on Deutzer Freiheit in Cologne.

31.Jan 2012

LANXESS expands Jhagadia site

LANXESS is continuing to expand its Indian production site in Jhagadia, Gujarat state. The specialty chemicals group is underlining its commitment to the subcontinent by inaugurating three new plants in January 2012 to serve the growing India market. LANXESS has invested over EUR 70 million and created roughly 300 new jobs at the site.

22.Mar 2012

Record earnings for LANXESS

The specialty chemicals company continued on a path of growth in 2011, with record sales and earnings figures. EBITDA pre exceptionals improved by 25 percent to EUR 1,146 million, exceeding EUR 1 billion for the first time.

30.May 2012

LANXESS investing in its French production site for tire rubbers

LANXESS Port Jérôme site celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012. The Group plans to invest some EUR 30 million by 2015 to further enhance productivity and energy efficiency. LANXESS produces the high-performance rubbers neodymium-polybutadiene (Nd-PBR) and solution styrene-butadiene (SSBR) at the site. These rubber grades are used primarily for the production of “green tires”.

18.Jun 2012

LANXESS sets its sights on Turkey's growing market

LANXESS plans to expand further in the Turkish market. It takes one important step in this direction by officially opening its new subsidiary in Istanbul.

05.Sep 2012

LANXESS to build world’s largest EPDM plant in China

LANXESS is building the world’s largest plant for EPDM synthetic rubber in China. The German specialty chemicals company is investing EUR 235 million in the plant in Changzhou (Jiangsu Province). This is the largest investment the company has made in China to date.

11.Sep 2012

LANXESS breaks ground for world’s largest Nd-PBR plant in Singapore

LANXESS is investing roughly EUR 200 million in a 140,000 metric tons per annum facility on Jurong Island. The facility will be the largest of its kind globally and will serve the growing market for “Green Tires”, especially in Asia. About 100 jobs will be created. The plant is expected to start up in the first half of 2015.

19.Sep 2012

LANXESS announces new mid-term goal

LANXESS is announcing a new mid-term goal for its leading earnings indicator – EBITDA pre exceptionals – of EUR 1.8 billion in 2018. The specialty chemicals company is strategically well-positioned to continue on its established growth path and plans to achieve its previously established goal of EUR 1.4 billion EBITDA pre exceptionals in 2014, a year ahead of schedule.

24.Sep 2012

LANXESS now listed in German benchmark index DAX 30

The Stock Indices Working Group of Deutsche Boerse AG decided on September 5, 2012, to include LANXESS AG in the German benchmark index DAX 30. Since September 24, 2012, the LANXESS share is officially listed.

06.Nov 2012

LANXESS sets global corporate target for the proportion of women in management

Proportion of women in mid-level and upper management to increase to 20 percent by 2020 / Measures to facilitate work/life balance

22.Nov 2012

LANXESS presents innovations for the mobility of the future for the first time in Prague

Mobility Days: two-day conference of experts shows sustainable solutions for the tire and automotive industries / High-profile speakers from the business and scientific communities

16.Apr 2013

Opening in Changzhou

LANXESS has started up on schedule a leather chemicals plant in Changzhou Yangtze Riverside Industrial Park. With a capacity of up to 50,000 metric tons per year, the plant is the largest of its kind in China and will strengthen LANXESS’ position as a sustainable leather chemicals provider in the local market.

13.May 2013

Rhein Chemie Opening Brazil

Rhein Chemie has invested roughly EUR 10 million in a new production facility in Porto Feliz, Brazil, to manufacture Rhenoshape high-performance curing bladders and Rhenogran predispersed, polymer-bound chemicals.

04.Jun 2013

Butyl Opening Singapore

At an official ceremony attended by around 400 guests, LANXESS inaugurated its new butyl rubber plant on Jurong Island in Singapore on schedule.

04.Jul 2013

LANXESS opens first production facility in Russia

In the new plant at the Lipetsk site, LANXESS subsidiary Rhein Chemie manufactures polymer-bound rubber additives for the markets in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), primarily for the automotive and tire industries.

03.Sep 2013

LANXESS now managing its global business from Cologne

LANXESS AG has successfully completed the move of its Group headquarters from Leverkusen to Cologne.The new Group headquarters unites all of the company’s central management functions under one roof for the first time.

15.Nov 2013

LANXESS brings expanded cresol plant on stream

LANXESS has completed the expansion of its cresol production plant in Leverkusen, Germany, and has now begun operating a newly constructed reaction system as well as a second 46-meter-high distillation column. The expansion increases capacity for this high-quality intermediate for the global market by some 20 percent.

01.Apr 2014

Zachert becomes CEO

Matthias Zachert suceeds Axel C. Heitmann as LANXESS AG's new CEO.

10.Apr 2014

LANXESS opens plant for high-tech plastics in Brazil

LANXESS has opened its new plant for high-tech plastics in Porto Feliz in Brazil. The specialty chemicals group has invested around EUR 20 million in this plant, which has an annual capacity of 20,000 tons. Up to 50 highly-qualified jobs have been created.

07.May 2014

LANXESS starts reorientation

Structures and decision-making processes are to be improved in the group’s administration. Orientation to customers and the market will be further developed in the divisions. In addition, profitability at the individual locations will be analyzed. What is more, strategic alliances to reinforce the rubber division’s competitive ability and to bring the company back into equilibrium are being reviewed.

08.May 2014

10% capital increase successfully completed

The new 8,320,266 shares of the company have been placed with international institutional investors at a price of EUR 52.00 per share. This placement has led to gross income of around EUR 430 million.

01.Jul 2014

LANXESS takes high-tech plastic plant in Antwerp into operations

The specialty chemicals group LANXESS has gone live with its new plant for polyamide plastics in Antwerp, Belgium as planned. The world-scale plant for polyamide plastics can process around 90,000 tons per year, and represents an investment volume of EUR 75 million.

06.Aug 2014

LANXESS consistently drives reorientation

The specialty chemicals group has defined its three-tier program “Let’s LANXESS Again” in this regard. This is broken down into the following areas: Competitiveness for the business and management structure”, “Operating competitiveness” and “Competitiveness of the business portfolio”.

01.Jan 2015

LANXESS has 10 Business Units with immediate effect

LANXESS has merged several divisions with effect from 1 January 2015, reducing their total from 14 to 10. The BUs BTR and PBR will be combined in the Business Unit Tire & Specialty Rubbers (TSR), and the BUs HPE and KEL will form the BU High Performance Elastomers (HPE). The specialty chemicals product line at RUC, the BUs FCC and RCH will be merged to form the new Business Unit Rhein Chemie Additives (ADD). The product lines for age protection products and accelerators in the RUC BU will be transferred to the BU All.

01.Apr 2015

Pontzen becomes new CFO

25.Aug 2015

New EPDM rubber plant in Changzhou officially inaugurated

Inauguration of LANXESS´s new EPDM (ethylene propylene diene) rubber plant in Changzhou, China. The plant will produce 10 different premium grades of EPDM rubber tailored to the requirements of customers in China and elsewhere in Asia.

27.Aug 2015

LANXESS inaugurates new Nd-BR plant in Singapore

22.Sep 2015

LANXESS and Saudi Aramco create joint venture for synthetic rubber

LANXESS and Saudi Aramco plan to establish a joint venture for synthetic rubber signed in a detailed agreement. LANXESS and Saudi Aramco subsidiary, Aramco Overseas Company, will each hold a 50 percent interest in the joint venture, with annual sales of approximately three billion Euro in 2014.

01.Oct 2015

Appointment of Hubert Fink to the Board of Management

On the Board he will hold responsibility for the Advanced Intermediates segment with the Advanced Industrial Intermediates and Saltigo business units and for the High Performance Materials business unit; he will also assume responsibility for the Global Procurement & Logistics group function and the Production, Technology, Safety and Environment (PTSE) group function, which combines all production-related services.

05.Nov 2015

Saltigo invests EUR 60 million

LANXESS is investing around EUR 60 million in the expansion of the Leverkusen production facilities of Saltigo GmbH – a leading supplier in the field of exclusive synthesis. The biggest single investment in Saltigo since it was founded as a fine chemicals company in 2006 should sustainably strengthen the LANXESS subsidiary’s market position. This is why the LANXESS subsidiary is significantly expanding its multi-purpose production facilities in the Central Organics Pilot Plant (ZeTO).

16.Nov 2015

LANXESS’ first production line for tire curing bladders in Asia

The LANXESS Rhein Chemie Additives business unit has opened a production line for Rhenoshape tire curing bladders at its Chinese production site in Qingdao. By the investment of a low single-digit million euro amount LANXESS will expand its global production capacity for these high-performance products in a first step by around 10 per cent.

07.Jan 2016

LANXESS takes production line in USA into operation

LANXESS has started up a second production line for high-performance plastics compounding at its facility in Gastonia, North Carolina, as planned. The new line represents an investment of about USD 15 million and doubles the site’s production capacity from 20,000 to 40,000 metric tons annually.

01.Apr 2016

Ten years of Saltigo

On April 1, 2016, Saltigo GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of specialty chemicals group LANXESS, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. At the same day, Torsten Derr (left), currently Head of the Board of Management’s Commercial & Supply Chain Excellence initiative, will take over as Chief Executive Officer of Saltigo. Wolfgang Schmitz is retiring after a 41-year career in the chemical industry.

01.Apr 2016

ARLANXEO joint venture launches

LANXESS and Saudi Aramco have completed the formation of their 50-50 joint venture for synthetic rubber, ARLANXEO. With the closing of the transaction, a 50 percent share in the joint venture ARLANXEO was transferred to Dutch Saudi Aramco subsidiary, Aramco Overseas Holdings Coöperatief U.A. In return, LANXESS received cash proceeds of around EUR 1.2 billion.

25.Apr 2016

LANXESS takes over Chemours‘ Clean and Disinfect specialties business

LANXESS is expanding its portfolio of material protection products by taking over the Clean and Disinfect business of US-based chemical company Chemours. The business comprises active ingredients as well as specialty chemicals used especially in disinfectant and hygiene solutions. The enterprise value of around EUR 210 million will be paid by LANXESS from existing liquidity. Closing is expected in the second half of 2016. The transaction is still subject to approval from the relevant antitrust authorities.

01.Sep 2016

LANXESS closes acquisition

LANXESS closed the acquisition of the Clean and Disinfect business of U.S.-based chemicals company Chemours on August 31, 2016. All relevant antitrust authorities have approved the transaction.

26.Sep 2016

LANXESS announces plan to acquire Chemtura

LANXESS announced plans to acquire US-based Chemtura Corporation (NYSE: CHMT), one of the major global providers of high-quality flame retardant and lubricant additives. With the largest acquisition in its history, LANXESS is building on its own additives portfolio and will become one of the world’s major actors in this growing market. The companies have signed a definitive acquisition agreement.

21.Apr 2017

LANXESS successfully completes acquisition of Chemtura

LANXESS has successfully completed the acquisition of U.S. company Chemtura, one of the world’s leading suppliers of flame retardant and lubricant additives, earlier than originally expected effective April 21, 2017. All required regulatory authorities have cleared the transaction.